Fatah and Hamas should be judged by the same standard
Michael Totten gives some sage advice for determining Hamas' intentions. Assuming Meshal doesn’t instantly and publicly reverse himself, what Hamas-run schools, newspapers, and television programs say should settle any lingering doubts. Will Palestinian children still be told they will one day “liberate” Tel Aviv, Haifa, and all Jerusalem? Or will the cause be properly narrowed to the West Bank and Gaza? If the Palestinian public — and especially Palestinian children — doesn’t get the message that Hamas is finally willing to accept a two-state solution, what Meshal just said to a Wall Street Journal reporter doesn’t mean anything.The same standard ought to be applied to Fatah. The links above relate to Fatah's positions on the same issues. If you read the links you will find that Fatah's positions are remarkably close to Hamas' positions.
And we’ll see if Hamas amends its charter. Genocidal principles like the following are still on their books: “Israel will exist and will continue to exist until Islam will obliterate it, just as it obliterated others before it.”
The charter likewise contradicts Meshal’s promise to the Wall Street Journal that Hamas will “cooperate with any American, international or regional effort to find a just solution to the Arab-Israeli conflict, to end the Israeli occupation and to grant the Palestinian people their right of self-determination.” According to the charter, “There is no solution for the Palestinian question except through Jihad. Initiatives, proposals and international conferences are all a waste of time and vain endeavors.”
Actions mean more than words, and even the right words are useless if they’re contradicted the very next day — or even the same day — in front of a different audience.
Michael Totten reports that Khaled Meshaal's claim that Hamas had accepted a 'two-state solution' was rejected out of hand by the State Department. In light of the items linked above, why isn't Fatah's claim rejected out of hand as well?
posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 10:04 AM
2 Comments:
Fatah's claim isn't rejected because too many people would have to admit to being complete fools for the last sixteen years. Without Fatah there's no "peace process" which has grown a life of its own, separate from any reality.
In other words, the Palestinians should be held to higher expectations than Israel. But they're given a pass.
What could go wrong indeed
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